Monday, February 09, 2009

Are you feeling pressed for time? Sure, your intentions are great. But, when it gets right down to it, you really just don't find the time, energy, and determination to put on the sneakers and head out the front door. So what can you do? Well, if time is the issue, there's good news.

A new study from the Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh says that time isn't the key to building health through exercise. As a matter of fact, in as little as seven minutes each week, you can help yourself achieve a greater level of physical fitness.

The researchers studied 16 men who had type II diabetes. The men, though in relatively poor physical condition, had no significant health issues other than the diabetes. The researchers then put these volunteers through their paces. How tough was it? Well, consider this:

These poor volunteers were forced to exercise at a vigorous pace for 30 seconds -- four times each day. But, they were only required to do so on two days each week. So, their total effort for the week was, shall we say, minimal.

“What we have found is that doing a few intense muscle exercises, each lasting only about 30 seconds, dramatically improves your metabolism in just two weeks,” said Professor James Timmons, who led the study.

What's the bottom line?

Sadly, for those of us who choose to believe our lives are too busy to accommodate a rigorous exercise program, we now find ourselves at a loss. So, unless we can live our lives at such a frenetic pace that even 30 seconds becomes untenable, we simply may have to face the music -- and actually do our bodies a favor.

To read more about the study, see this from Reuters. To read more about implementing a more serious exercise program, see this from FamilyDoctor.org.